Yamaguchi Prefecture (Honshu, Japan)

Yamaguchi Prefecture is located at the western tip of Honshu Island, Japan. To the north is the Sea of Japan, and to the south, the Inland Sea. A bridge and tunnel connect Shimonoseki City with the island of Kyushu. The size of the prefecture is 6,095 sq. km (2,353 sq. miles). The average low temperature (as at 1987) in January was about 3 degrees C (38 degrees F); the average high in August, 30 degrees C (86 degrees F). Annual precipitation is approximately 1,700 mm (67 inches). Population was 1,587,000 (1980) and 1,516,1693 (2003) The capital is Yamaguchi City which had a population of 142,236 in 2003. An industrial area extends along the Inland Sea, and a rural area along the Japan Sea, with rice and citrus as major crops. Hagi pottery is famous, and there are many tourist attractions such as the coasts, caves, and hot springs. The Korean peninsula lies only about 150 km (95 miles) away.

In 1953, the first Brethren in Christ congregation was founded in Hagi City. In 1986 there was also a congregation in Nagato City, and two in Shimonoseki. These congregations were all started by or together with a missionary, but are now guided by self-supporting Japanese lay leaders. The Yamaguchi Prefectural Brethren in Christ Church Conference was organized in 1971.